New practice facility adds to CMR Rustlers' optimism

CMR's Kai Stewart talks with his coach Aaron Jensen during his quarterfinal match during the first day of the all-class state wrestling tournament at MetraPark in Billings(Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/RION SANDERS)Buy Photo

Kai Stewart won a state wrestling championship last season for the C.M. Russell High program.

But don’t ask him what his record was.

“You can’t worry about records,” said Stewart, a senior leader of a Russell team that opens the mat season this weekend at a tournament in Havre. “Yes, I want to win all of them. In the past I’ve wrestled some of the toughest kids in the state, four-timers and three-timers (state champs). What is really important is how you wrestle in those matches and I really believe even in losses I was right there with everyone.”

Stewart, who has signed a mat scholarship with NCAA Division II Minot (N.D.) State, plans to study nursing or pre-med in college. First he hopes to help the Rustlers continue to make progress in a quest to return to the elite of Class AA high school wrestling.

“I want people to remember what I brought to the team,” he said. “How hard I worked. Who cares about records and titles. I want people to view me as somebody who overcame some stuff and really worked hard.”

The Rustlers will be led by Stewart and Carter Carroll, a senior who was third at the state meet last season.

“Both of them work extremely hard,” CMR head coach Aaron Jensen said. “We just need more kids to follow and ride their coattails. I see the potential of some kids who could do that, so that’s exciting.”

The Rustlers have 37 athletes out for the team. Several have made great improvement from last year.

“We have some kids who have put in some good offseason work,” Jensen said. “One who comes to mind is Quinton Spring (a junior 152-pounder). He competed in a lot of offseason tournaments and camps, ran cross country and is looking good in the practice room.

“Keaton Jarrett (a junior 132-pounder) put in a lot of time in the offseason, too. And there are some other ones, for sure.”

Freshmen Colton Martello (at 103) and Calvin Carroll (120) will start the season in the varsity lineup.

“Colton’s done a lot of wrestling while growing up and I think he’s going to be a good factor,” Jensen said. “Calvin, we really like the way he comes and practices every day and we’re looking for good things from him, too. I think those two will be very solid for us.”

Senior Jayson Ingalls, who was a hard-working team leader for the CMR football team this fall, is also out for the team.

Overall, the Rustlers are optimistic.

“We need to improve on the number of kids we’re taking to state. I think we had 10 last year,” Jensen said. “We need to get into that 15 or 20-qualifier range in order to make some noise at the state tournament. That’s our goal.”

There is a new optimistic at CMR’s practices, Jensen said. That’s because the team is working out in a new, spacious wrestling room that was recently completed as part of the impressive addition to CMR Fieldhouse. The room has large windows and is about triple the size of the classroom that formerly served as the Russell practice facility.

“The new room has definitely helped,” Jensen said. “We have more kids out than we’ve had in a few years. We’ve got kids trying it for the first time. The kids who were used to that small, dingy wrestling room, they’ve got a new level of excitement, so it’s really infused a new energy into our program.”